Chocolate and Strawberry Christmas Cupcakes
These are Christmas all wrapped up in a cupcake. I doubt anyone will be able to resist these delicious treats. I hope that there is one next to my stocking on Christmas Eve.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 115 gr self rising flour
- 40 gr cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 4 tsp boiling water
- 165 g golden caster sugar
- 175 gr softened unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Buttercream
- 300 gr unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Nielsen Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
- 600 gr powdered sugar
- 450 gr green food colouring
- splash of double cream if required
- Handful of fresh strawberries, washed and with the base sliced off to create a flat surface
- Sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºc and line a cupcake tin with paper cases.
- Sieve the cocoa into a bowl then pour in the boiling water.
- Mix until you have a thick paste.
- Add in all remaining ingredients and mix with an electric whisk until you have a smooth batter.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop equal amounts into each paper case.
- Place in the oven for around 12-15 minutes until the cakes spring back when pressed.Cool on a wire rack completely.
Buttercream
- To make the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and fluffy then start to add the powdered sugar a ladel at a time until fully incorporated.
- Add in the vanilla extract and green food colouring to the desired colour and beat again.If the mixture is a little stiff, add a splash of double cream.
- Place the buttercream into a piping bag with a star nozzle attached.
- If adding a surprise strawberry into your cupcake, i just remove a little of the top of the cake to create a perfectly flat surface. I pipe a little buttercream as a base on which the strawberry can sit. Place the strawberry with the flat cut side down then pipe around the base then upwards to create a tree shape that totally covers the strawberry.
- If not adding in a strawberry simply pipe generously from the cake upwards to create a tree shape.Add festive sprinkles.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @HomeCookingWithJulieNeville on Instagram and hashtag it #CookingLikeJulie.
